Jayson Tatum And His Mom (Image Credit: X/@LegionHoops)
The Boston Celtics opened their playoff series with authority after Dwight Howard’s bold claim. They cruised to a 103-86 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at TD Garden. While the victory was never in doubt, a tense moment in the fourth quarter briefly clouded the night when Jayson Tatum hit the floor hard.

After the injury, Tatum lay on the court in visible pain, clutching his wrist as the TD Garden crowd held its breath. Like the fans, Tatum’s mother, Brandy Cole, was also very tense about her son. Cameras later showed Tatum’s mother was standing in front of the X-ray room as she approached her son.

“You want me to go to the Orlando locker room?” she asked him.

Tatum’s injury came early in the fourth quarter when he attempted a powerful dunk. But as he soared toward the basket, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit him midair, and Tatum fell awkwardly on his wrist. The foul was immediately reviewed, and officials upgraded it to a Flagrant one due to its dangerous nature.

Jayson Tatum Addresses His Injury After The Win

Jayson Tatum (Photo by Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)

Fortunately for Boston, the postgame imaging showed no serious damage. A later report revealed that Tatum received clean X-rays on his wrist. Tatum addressed the media shortly after the game to ease concerns about his injury.

“It’s alright. I just fell on it. Landed on it. It was just throbbing for a second,” Tatum said.

Before exiting the game, Tatum logged 17 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists. However, it wasn’t his sharpest night offensively, as he shot just 8-for-22 from the field and only 1-of-8 from three-point range. The Celtics are now up 1-0 in the series and will host the Magic again for Game 2 on Wednesday.